We started just before 11:00 AM, went about an hour and a half, and then
went back after lunch for about another ninety minutes. The picket was
mostly uneventful. Some notes:

The pretend-victimhood emanating from inside the Toronto org is showing
some cracks. Scientologists kept walking past and standing close to
picketers. Bits of the goon squad even made an appearance.

Al Buttnor called the police (the usual whine about suppressive persons,
but in non-Scientology language). However, he went outside and stood near
Gregg to do so, pointing out to the world that Buttnor doesn't mind
standing near Gregg. This rather hints that Al Buttnor is not actually
intimidated by Gregg, given that he deliberately went and stood near Gregg
before calling the police. The police did the usual "1) respond 2) observe
3) leave" thing that they've done at past pickets.

The same Scientologist who, last time, was 'asking' Gregg to be quiet
because "you're disturbing the students" went into dramatic mocked-up
victim mode. She stood in front of Gregg and then backed away in exactly
the same direction that he was proceeding, declaiming about how Gregg was
harrassing her (the org didn't even call the police, so this was obviously
for the benefit of passers-by). The second time, the Scientologist waited
until Gregg had passed the org main entrance, and then did the exact same
thing vis the backing away, but this time claimed that she was only going
to her car (if she was really terrified, she'd have waited until he was
away from the building door before going outside, of course). Then, after
having repeated the backing-away performance, walked *back across the
front of the org*, to cross the road and go down Isabella street, which is
right across the road from the org's front entrance. It is to sigh at the
blatant stupidity.

The first time she did this, I told her to stop acting like a "downstat
low-toned Scientologist", and call the police instead of just whining. She
said "Don't talk to me like that!" (Like what, like she's a supposedly
able Scientologist pretending to be a pathetic whiny no-cause victim? I
wonder if Scientologists are ever told how they can reconcile being
victims with the Scientology claims that they're being made more able.)

Around this time, there was a Scientologist out front of the org, on Yonge
Street, staring at Gregg doing his spiel. Mario went over, put his arm
around the guy, and steered him into the org. This did a good job of
annoying me (what, the man is mentally incapable of making his own mind up
about a picketer's message or something??), and I said, directing it to
the man being directed inside, "Somebody hasn't got his Grade Zero, can't
communicate to anyone about anything." This apparently tweaked Mario's
nose a little, because Mario then swore at me.

One passer-by, who said he was a jazz pianist, related a tale of the time
he went into the Dianetics bit of the org, and said "So what about Lisa
McPherson?" (this Lisa McPherson: http://www.lisamcpherson.org), at which
point Mario went over to a red phone and called someone. I asked which red
phone, and the pianist said "that red phone". Lo and behold, Mario was
talking on a red phone on a desk inside the Dianetics bit of the org.

Later on in the afternoon, Keith Henson got part of the goon squad over
staring at him. It's nice of Scientologists to keep approaching Keith,
reinforcing the fact that they're not intimidated by him.

In the afternoon, a couple sitting in a car beckoned me over and asked me
at some length about Scientology, and why we were picketing, and so forth.
I went into things at some length, and I'm reasonably certain that I made
a good impression.

Around that time, a young lady approached Gregg and asked him about the
picket. As it turns out, this lady had taken some Dianetics stuff, and
seemed reasonably happy with it. Unfortunately, she got far more
information than she actually asked for, and went away quite overwhelmed.
The next time Gregg gets too enthusiastic I'll have to slap him silly with
my thetan hand or something.

Just before we called the picket, a bunch of people started talking to
Mario about stuff. Coincidentally, I was babysitting the Unknown
Picketer's sign, so had a double-decker sign, which is actually a good way
of getting people interested in leaflets. Seeing this Knot Of Dianetical
Discussion (hm, KNODD) taking place, I relocated myself down the sidewalk
across from the KNODD. None of the KNODD took leaflets, but just before
they all went into the Dianetics place one of them (not Mario, hehe)
winked at me.

Apart from the usual acks and "way to go" and "I agree with you", during
the picket I also got a couple of "it took you this long to figure it
out?" jibes in relation to my sign ("Consumer Hazard: $cientology Bait and
Switch Zone"). Of course, there were also some other people who didn't
know why anyone would picket Scientology, so I think our picketing is not
yet done.

In case anyone's keeping track, this was the 5th straight Saturday we've
picketed. See you all at the org. ;-

--

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http://xenu.ca/

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